Toy gun and projectile therefor



Aug. 28, 1962 D. c. MADDUX 3,050,893

TOY GUN AND PROJECTILE THEREFOR Filed July 16, 1959 IN VEN TOR.

Zzzarze Gfiaddzz I Patented Aug. 28, 1962 3,050,893 TOY GUN AND PROJECTILE THEREFOR Duane C. Maddux, 3016 W. Verdugo Ave, Burbank, Calif. Filed July 16, 1959, Ser. No. 827,569 3 Claims. (Cl. 42-55) This invention relates to toys and particularly to a novel form of reusable, cap detonation propelled toy projectile as well as the detonation producing means therefore.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a cap detonation propelled toy projectile which is reusable, which is both easy and safe to reload and which employs the ordinary paper caps such as used in toy pistols for the detonating and propelling means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cap detonation propelled toy projectile of the above character together with detonating means therefore which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and which lends itself to incorporation in various forms of simulated ordnance and firearms.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example, in the following specification of certain presently preferred embodiments of the toy projectile and of an illustrative form of ordnance in which such a projectile may be used, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are, respectively, side elevational and top plan views of a toy cannon in which the invention is incorporated,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, rear elevational view of the breech block end of the cannon shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale, fragmentary, sectional view of the hammer actuating means taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged scale, fragmentary, medial sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2 showing a projectile assembly in the gun barrel ready for firing and the hammer in firing position as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a further enlarged, fragmentary, medial sectional view of the cap containing end of the projectile assembly as taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is an exploded prospective view of the projectile assembly, and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view partly in section of a modified form of projectile component.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 4, the invention is shown as used in a toy cannon comprising a barrel I mounted on an integrally formed carriage comprising downwardly depending lateral arms 2, 2 carrying wheels 3, 3 mounted thereon and continuing rearwardly in the tail piece 4, the illustrated embodiment comprising a single casting. It will be understood that the above unitary construction may, if desired, be formed in any other suitable manner.

The rear end of the barrel 1 is provided with opposed laterally extending bosses 5 and 6 which terminate flush with the rear end of the barrel and are provided, respectively, with screws 7 and 8. Pivotally mounted on the screw 8 is the arm 9 of a breech block member 10 which moves across the rear end of the barrel 1 and which at the side opposite the arm 9 carries an arm 11 having a slot 12 therein adapted to engage over the shank of the screw 7. Slideably mounted in the breech block 10 is a firing pin 13 having a striking head 14 mounted in a recess 1'5 inthe breech block and at its other end having a hammer engaging head 16.

The trail piece or portion 4 of the gun carriage has a longitudinal slot 17 in the upper face thereof and extending between the side webs 19, 19 is a pivot pin 20 on which the lower end of an arm 21 carrying a hammer element 22 is pivotally mounted, said head 22 being positioned to strike the head 16 incident to firing the projectile. Also mounted on the pin 20 are the opposite coiled ends 23, 23 of a torsion spring having the outer ends thereof resting on lugs 24 carried by the inner faces of the webs 19, 19. The adjacent ends of the coils 23, 23 are connected by a loop 24' which extends across the lower end of the hammer arm 21 and thus (see FIG. 1) biases the hammer arm for movement in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1, the spring being installed under such initial tension as will cause the released hammer arm to strike the firing pin head 16 with suflicient force to detonate a cap as will be later explained. A spring detent 25 mounted on the top surface of the trail piece 4 and engaging a pin 26 extending laterally from the side of the hammer arm 21 serves as a means for retaining the hammer arm 21 cocked and also as a means for releasing the hammer arm to the force of the springs 23, 23.

The projectile assembly, as arranged for rfiring, 27 is shown placed in the barrel 1 in FIG. 5. The projectile assembly here shown comprises a projectile 28 formed of a wooden cylinder having a rounded forward end and adjacent the rear end having a peripheral, slightly compressible bead 29 of slightly greater diameter than the body of the projectile. The rear end of the projectile is reduced in diameter as at 30 and carries a metal thimble element 31 thereon preferably having the same external diameter as the body of the projectile and having an end wall 32. Removably fitted over the rear end of the projectile 28 with a tight sliding fit is a metal cup element 33 having an end wall 33' parallel to the end wall 32. In use, a paper cap 34 is placed in the bottom of the cup element which is then fitted over the rear end of the projectile 28 as far as it will go with ordinary pushing by hand. The assembled projectile is then placed in the gun barrel and the interior of the gun barrel adjacent the rear end thereof has a peripheral, inwardly extending bead 35 having a rearwardly flaring face and which, as will be later explained, makes a tight yielding fit with projectile bead 29. The breech block having been closed over the projectile with the firing pin head seated in the recess 15, and assuming that the hammer has been previously cocked and retained by the detent spring 25, release of the detent spring will release the hammer to the stored power of the springs 23, 23, causing it to strike the firing pin with sufficient impact thereon to drive the bead 29 past the bead 35 at least beyond the point of maximum resistance, such resistance being sufficient to cause detonation of the cap with consequent propulsion of the projectile out of the cup element and the barrel. It is to be noted that the weight of the projectile is so slight that, without the resistance ofiered by the beads 29 and 35, the impact of the firing pin and hammer alone would be insufficient to detonate the cap.

The projectile can be recovered, the cup element 33 removed from the gun barrel, and another cap similarly placed in the chamber for firing again.

While for the purposes of illustration of the invention, the projectile assembly has been shown as it would be used in a toy cannon, it will be appreciated that simulations of cartridges made according to the principles of the invention employing a projectile component having a metal thimble over the rear end and a correspondingly tight fitting engagement between a cup and the said rear end of the projectile component can be made for use in simu- 3 lations of other types of ordnance or firearms such as, for example, a rifle or carbine or of a revolver. Under those conditions, the hammer mechanism would be modified to correspond to the comparable component of the firearm or other piece of ordnance thus simulated.

Referring finally to FIG. 8, there is shown another form of projectile element in which the projectile 36 is formed of an elongated, hollow cylindrical plastic molding having a rounded closed forward end and having the open rear end closed by a metal thimble 37 which is substantially identical with the thimble 31 in the first disclosed form. The wall thickness of the projectile can, of course, be made to any desired dimension to the end that the resulting projectile will have a desired amount of weight to enable it to respond properly to the force of the detonated cap and to properly limit the impact force thereof.

While in the foregoing specification, there have been described certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, it is not to be deemed therefrom that the invention is limited to the embodiments thus disclosed by way of example, and it will be understood that the invention includes, as well, all such changes and modifications in the parts, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a toy gun having a barrel, a removable breech block closing the rear end of the barrel,

a firing pin in said breech block, and spring actuated hammer means for delivering an impact on said firing pin; said barrel having an internal peripheral bead of slightly less diameter than the bore thereof disposed inwardly of said rear end thereof, and projectile means for use therewith comprising an elongated projectile component having a slightly compressible peripheral head of slightly greater diameter than the projectile body and the reduced diameter of said bore formed by said head in said barrel and disposed a lesser distance from the rear end of said projectile than the distance of said internal head from the rear end of said barrel, a cap holding means on the rear end of said projectile means including a detonation chamber and means for detonating a cap disposed in said chamber upon impact on said cap holding means by said hammer means; the interengagement of said beads being sufiicient to offer resistance to firing pin impact to: insure cap detonation but insufficient to prevent passage of said projectile in response to pressure in said chamber deriving from cap detonation.

2. A gun and projectile as claimed in claim 1 in which said projectile component at the rear end thereof carries a metal thimble element fixed thereto and in which said detonation chamber is formed by a removable metal cup element having a tight friction fit over said thimble; said elements having parallel end walls which are elfeotive upon impact on the end of said cup element to detonate a cap contained in said chamber.

3. A gun and projectile as claimed in claim 1 in which said beads on said projectile and in said barrel are so positioned that firing pin impact on said cap holding means operates to drive said head on said projectile at least past the point of maximum resistance by the other of said beads.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 790,598 Shimer May 23, 1905 797,823 Seitz Aug. 22, 1905 1,585,075 Boyce May 18, 1926 2,482,436 Ream Sept. 20, 1949 2,539,968 Payne Jan. 30, 1951 2,655,755 Nichols Oct. 20, 1953 2,746,390 Mosser May 22, 1956 2,866,412 Meyer et a1. Dec. 30, 1958 2,950,680 Mills Aug. 30, 1960 

